Inter Faith Network for the UK

What Inter Faith Network for the UK does

The Inter Faith Network for the UK (IFN) was a registered charity (no. 1068934) and company limited by guarantee (no. 3443823), established in 1987 to promote understanding, cooperation and good relations between organisations and persons of different faiths in the UK. It was formally dissolved on 21 January 2025 following the withdrawal of government funding. The organisation operated as a membership-based network linking national faith community representative bodies, 28 national and regional inter faith organisations, educational and academic bodies, and local inter faith organisations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its principal programmes were Inter Faith Week (an annual awareness week running since 2009 in England and Wales, with Northern Ireland joining in 2010), the Faith Communities Forum (established 2003, meeting approximately four times per year for national faith bodies to discuss public policy under Chatham House Rule), and the Local Inter Faith Linking Programme supporting regional inter faith organisations through meetings and resources.

IFN's core technology consisted of two informational websites (interfaith.org.uk and interfaithweek.org) and a social media presence across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, used for content dissemination, event promotion, and the publication of approximately 180 religious festival posts per year via the Shap Calendar Group. The organisation produced free downloadable publications covering dialogue guidelines, safety and security guidance, workplace resources, and school materials, all subsequently released under Creative Commons following closure. There were no APIs, no AI capabilities, and no commercial technology platform.

IFN's business model was primarily government grant funding supplemented by charitable grants for specific publications, with services delivered free of charge to members and the public. The organisation operated with 4.2 full-time equivalent staff as of March 2024 and an annual operating budget implied to be in the low hundreds of thousands of pounds, with Inter Faith Week alone consuming £95,000-£110,000. The single-funder dependence on government grants was the structural vulnerability that led to its closure.

Name

Inter Faith Network for the UK

Legal name

The Inter Faith Network for the UK

Website

https://interfaith.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Closed

Short description

The Inter Faith Network for the UK was a registered charity, established in 1987 and dissolved in January 2025, that promoted inter faith understanding and cooperation across England, Wales and Northern Ireland through member linking, the Faith Communities Forum, Inter Faith Week, and free publications for faith bodies, educators, employers, and government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Interfaith Relations Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Religious Organizations (81311), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Interfaith & Ecumenical Councils and Dialogue Organizations (BPAGAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Interfaith dialogue facilitation
• Religious community liaison
• Faith-based network coordination
• Multi-faith education resources
• Community relations advocacy

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: IFN was primarily funded through government grants. The organisation was dissolved due to withdrawal of government funding, with a press release issued on 22 February 2024 announcing closure. Letters from IFN's Co-Chairs to the Secretary of State referenced funding concerns.
2. Charitable Grants: IFN received support from various charitable sources for specific programmes and publications, including partnerships with government departments on publications such as 'Looking after one another: the safety and security of our faith communities' (2023) in partnership with Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities; Home Office; Crown Prosecution Service; National Police Chiefs' Council and National Fire Chiefs' Council.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Inter Faith Network for the UK promoted understanding, cooperation and good relations between organisations and persons of different faiths through membership linking, regional and national meetings, advice and information services, publications, and the coordination of Inter Faith Week across England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Product overview

The Inter Faith Network for the UK (IFN) was a charitable organization dissolved on 21 January 2025 that operated a website and multiple programs to promote inter faith understanding in the UK. The core offering consisted of the IFN Website acting as an information hub, Inter Faith Week (an annual awareness week), the Faith Communities Forum (for national faith body representatives), and a Local Inter Faith Linking Programme. Supporting these were IFN Publications and Resources covering dialogue guidelines, safety guidance, and research reports. The product portfolio was complemented by School Resources for educational settings and Workplace Resources for employers. IFN did not operate as a technology platform with integrations, APIs, or AI capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Inter Faith Week: Annual programme strengthening good inter faith relations, increasing awareness of faith communities, and increasing understanding between people of religious and non-religious beliefs. Runs in England, Northern Ireland and Wales each November.
• Faith Communities Forum (FCF)

Products and services

• Inter Faith Week An annual week-long programme (10-17 November) to strengthen good inter faith relations, increase awareness of different faith communities, and increase understanding between people of religious and non-religious beliefs. The Week runs in England, Northern Ireland and Wales (Scottish Inter Faith Week is led separately by Interfaith Scotland).
• Faith Communities Forum (FCF) A forum for national faith community representative bodies to discuss issues of common concern and share good practice relating to inter faith work, with a particular focus on public policy issues. Meets around four times per year with 2 Co-Moderators and 8 Vice-Moderators.
• Local Inter Faith Linking Programme A programme linking local inter faith organisations (LIFOs) through regional meetings, resources, publications, contact advice, visits, speaking engagements, and advocacy to local authority chief executives to strengthen inter faith activity at the local level across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• IFN Publications and Resources A library of publications including guidelines for dialogue (Building good relations with people of different faiths and beliefs), safety and security guidance (Looking after one another), women's local inter faith initiatives report, youth action guides, and sport and inter faith reports. All publications are available free of charge, with content switched to Creative Commons licensing following closure.
• School Resources Educational materials for schools including school assembly videos, teacher resources for secondary pupils aged 11-14 on inter faith activity, shared values/golden rule posters, and primary resources for pupils aged 9-11. Targeted at primary and secondary schools, RE teachers, and educators.
• Workplace Resources Guidance for employers on faith and belief in the workplace, including tips for creating faith-friendly corporate climates, supporting staff faith networks, and holding events to increase inter faith understanding across workplaces.
• Inter Faith Buddies Scheme A programme providing opportunities for one-to-one conversations between people of different faiths or beliefs to open or deepen dialogue, promoted through webinars and the IFN website.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of organisations participated annually in Inter Faith Week, including schools, businesses, local authorities, libraries and hospitals - most of which were not IFN member bodies.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Department for Levelling Up, Housing and CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnered with IFN on 'Looking after one another: the safety and security of our faith communities' (2023 edition), a guidance document on responding to attacks on places of worship, working for calm at times of tension, and strengthening good inter faith relations.
• Home OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-published 'Looking after one another: the safety and security of our faith communities' guidance document, providing content on reporting hate incidents, cyber-attacks, and terrorist activity.
• National Police Chiefs' CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnered on safety and security guidance document, contributing expertise on security of faith community buildings and building good inter faith relations.
• National Fire Chiefs' CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnered on safety and security guidance document, providing fire safety expertise relevant to places of worship.
• Crown Prosecution ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnered on safety and security guidance document, contributing legal expertise on responding to incidents and hate crime.
• National Union of StudentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFN facilitated a series of meetings between national inter faith organisations carrying out programmes on Higher and Further Education campuses, working with NUS to support student inter faith engagement.
• National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFN engaged with NaCTSO on longer-term projects fitting with its aims, contributing to counter-terrorism security work relevant to faith communities.
• National Police Chiefs' CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFN staff were involved with the National Police Chiefs' Council on longer-term basis, contributing inter faith expertise to policing and community relations work.
• Office for National StatisticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFN engaged with ONS on projects related to faith and belief data collection and statistics.
• Equally OursminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFN staff were involved with Equally Ours on longer-term basis, engaging on equality and human rights issues relevant to faith communities.
• Shap Calendar GroupminorOthersIFN shared Shap Calendar posts about approximately 180 religious festivals per year on Twitter and Facebook, with permission from the Shap Calendar Group.
• Interfaith ScotlandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBy agreement with IFN, Interfaith Scotland linked Scottish inter faith groups directly. Interfaith Scotland led on Scottish Inter Faith Week and held an annual meeting with IFN representatives. IFN also referred enquiries about Scotland to Interfaith Scotland.
• Northern Ireland Inter-Faith ForumcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLinked in membership by IFN as one of the devolved nation linking bodies. Representatives attended IFN's Faith Communities Forum. Participated in Inter Faith Week. IFN held annual meeting between IFN and the linking bodies of the devolved nations.
• Inter-faith Council for Wales / Cyngor Rhyng-Ffydd CymrucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLinked in membership by IFN as one of the devolved nation linking bodies. Representatives attended IFN's Faith Communities Forum. Participated in Inter Faith Week. IFN held annual meeting between IFN and the linking bodies of the devolved nations.
• Royal British LegionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFN assisted the Royal British Legion in convening a roundtable with IFN's Faith Communities Forum in 2019 to explore extension of inclusion in Remembrance to encourage greater engagement by different faith communities.
• NHS Blood and TransplantminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS Blood and Transplant managers made presentations to IFN's Faith Communities Forum about organ donation and faith communities.
• SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCIE presented to IFN's Faith Communities Forum on faith communities and safeguarding.
• Sporting Equals UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFN worked with Sporting Equals UK to produce 'Using the power of sport to build good inter faith relations' (2017), a report and good practice compendium on sport and inter faith engagement.
• Holocaust Memorial Day TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFN promoted Holocaust Memorial Day activities through its network and local inter faith organisations, supporting commemoration of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.
• FaithActionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFollowing IFN's closure, FaithAction was one of the organisations recommended for those seeking advice and information on inter faith matters in England.
• Near NeighboursminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFollowing IFN's closure, Near Neighbours was recommended for those seeking advice and information on inter faith matters. IFN previously referred enquiries to Near Neighbours and collaborated on social media guidance.
• Christian Muslim ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFN highlighted the Christian Muslim Forum's work on church-mosque twinning arrangements and referenced their resources on the IFN website.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Sporting Equals UK: UK body promoting sport-related equality and inclusion across faith and ethnic communities. Partnered with IFN on the 2017 'Using the power of sport to build good inter faith relations' report, giving it direct thematic overlap with IFN's community engagement work.
• Holocaust Memorial Day Trust: UK charity coordinating Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations, with significant inter faith engagement and education programmes. Adjacent to IFN's work in inter faith awareness, education, and cross-community remembrance; partnered with IFN historically.

Direct peers

• Christian Muslim Forum: UK organisation promoting dialogue and practical cooperation between Christian and Muslim communities. Comparable as a faith-to-faith dialogue body with similar convening intent to IFN, though narrower in faith scope.
• Near Neighbours: Church of England-supported programme promoting interfaith and cross-community engagement at the local level across England. Comparable to IFN in mission scope (interfaith/inter-community relations) and explicitly named by IFN as a recommended resource post-closure.
• Council of Christians and Jews: Long-established UK charity fostering dialogue and education between Christian and Jewish communities. Comparable to IFN in its convening and educational role within the interfaith sector, though more narrowly focused on two faiths.
• FaithAction: UK-wide charity supporting faith-based social action and interfaith cooperation. Highly comparable to IFN in promoting dialogue between faith communities and engaging government; was specifically recommended by IFN for those seeking inter faith advice after IFN's closure, indicating direct functional substitution.

Regional players

• Interfaith Scotland: Scotland's national inter faith body, established to promote interfaith understanding and dialogue. Directly comparable to IFN's function, but serving Scotland under a formal division-of-geography arrangement with IFN — Interfaith Scotland led Scottish Inter Faith Week and linked Scottish inter faith groups directly.
• Inter-faith Council for Wales / Cyngor Rhyngffydd Cymru: Wales's principal inter faith coordinating body and a core IFN linking partner. Comparable as a UK regional inter faith organisation playing the same convening and linking role within a devolved nation that IFN played UK-wide.
• Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum: Northern Ireland's main inter faith coordinating body, linked in membership to IFN and a participant in Inter Faith Week from 2010. Highly comparable in mission and structure to IFN at a national level, but operating exclusively in NI.

Broad incumbents

• Religions for Peace UK: UK chapter of a global multi-religious coalition advancing peace and cooperation. Comparable to IFN in promoting interfaith cooperation and policy engagement, but operating as part of a much larger international network rather than a UK-specific convening body.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/IFNetUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/IFNetUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inter-faith-network-for-the-uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/ifnetuk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Inter Faith Network for the UK